


Ten Years

by LordofLezzies



Series: How Derek Found Out [21]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23286130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordofLezzies/pseuds/LordofLezzies
Summary: It's been 10 years since Addison and Derek last saw each other and things have changed a lot since then
Relationships: Meredith Grey/Addison Montgomery
Series: How Derek Found Out [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/617230
Comments: 5
Kudos: 97





	Ten Years

Derek Shepherd hadn't seen her in 10 years, but he'd know that red hair anywhere. He had spent a great deal of time dreaming that she would come back, crying that she'd left, and being utterly miserable because of her, and now she was here. He remembered the night he came home expecting to see his fiancé and instead finding her tear stained note and engagement ring.

Dearest Derek,  
I hate myself for for what I am about to do. I love you more than you will ever know, and it pains me to do this, but I know that if I had to tell you this I'd cry, and hate myself even more for hurting you. As happy as we've been these past three years I know that it won't last. You deserve more than this. I love you so much and I only wish you the best, but I can't marry you.  
I'll always love you,  
Addison

He never knew why she'd left, or where she'd gone, he only knew that she'd become a neonatal surgeon. He'd cried as he traced the letters of her name with his finger, while reading one of her earliest publications. She'd broken him, and now that she was here it broke him a little bit more. He couldn't worry about her now though, he had a new resident to meet.

"Dr. Grey?" He asked as he saw a blonde woman standing outside of his new office. He didn't recognize her, but he'd only been working here for a few weeks, so he still didn't recognize everybody. The woman turned at her name and his eyes were immediately drawn to her very pregnant stomach. This didn't go unnoticed by her and she snapped.

"Yes, I am pregnant. I may have to use the bathroom more frequently than other residents, and I have an insatiable craving for peanut butter, but I am not weak, incompetent or otherwise incapable of doing my job. I am as good, if not better than any other third year resident in this hospital and maybe even some fourth years, and I expect to be treated that way."

"I like you Dr. Grey," He responded.

"It's not my goal to be liked. I aim to be respected." He nodded in understanding.

"I respect that," He replied holding out his hand. "Derek Shepherd." She took his hand in her own and smiled.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Shepherd." The blonde was as good as she claimed to be, and he was temporarily distracted from thoughts of Addie, until he saw her again, and this time she saw him too.

"Derek?"

"Addison?" They stared at each other, awkwardly for a moment before either of them could say anything. "You look good Addie," He whispered as he reached out to cup her cheek, stroking the soft skin gently with the pad of his thumb.

"You don't look so bad yourself," She whispered as she reached out to touch his stubbly chin. "What are you doing here?" They asked in unison, causing them both to chuckle. "I thought you were in Chicago," Addison whispered.

"I just moved here a few weeks ago. I heard you were in Boston."

"We just finalized our move last week."

"We?" He asked. It was then that he felt her rings against his cheek. Addison nodded, not trusting her voice. "You're married?" Again Addison nodded. "How long?"

"Three years, last May, we got married as soon as it was legal in Massachusetts." He nodded.

"So you're a lesbian now?" He asked and her lips curved into a weak smile. "I guess," She whispered, shrugging as she spoke. "Is that why you left?"

"Derek," She sighed.

"Don't Derek me," He said his voice raising in anger. "Ten years Addie," He exclaimed. "Ten years of never knowing why you left," His voice was cracking, "I think I deserve to know." Her head was bowed and he couldn't see the tears sliding down her cheeks. "Look at me" He growled as he cupped her chin forcing her to look up at him. His expression softened when he saw her tear stained cheeks.

"Remember when I went to ask my friend to be my Maid of Honor?" He nodded, remembering that Addison had made a big deal about asking a friend that he'd never met, who probably wouldn't have time to be Addie's Maid of Honor. He couldn't remember the woman's name, just that Addison had made a big deal about asking her, and that she'd come home earlier than he'd expected, and been upset after going to visit this friend.

"Addison, I can't believe you're really here!" Meredith exclaimed, practically jumping me after she opened the door. "I've missed you so much Addie," She said with a grin as she continued to squeeze me in her death grip hug and I squeezed her back, as she pulled me into her room.

"I've missed you too Mer," I whispered as we pulled apart.

"My roommate is gone for the weekend," Meredith began excitedly. I knew she didn't get many visits, and certainly not from her mother, so I wasn't surprised that her roommate was gone. "I made dinner reservations to celebrate," She continued.

"What are we celebrating?" I asked. I hadn't even told her about my engagement yet.

"That you're here silly," She said with a grin. Her happiness was contagious and I couldn't help but smile right along with her.

"Maybe we have something else to celebrate," I whispered and she looked at me expectantly. "You mean a lot to me Meredith," I began and she continued to smile. "You're special and I didn't want to just send a letter or call, I wanted to do this personally," She was grinning expectantly. "I'm getting married and I want you to be my Maid of Honor," I finally said, and her expression fell. "Please think about it Mer," I pleaded, at the sight of her less than ecstatic expression.

"You came here to invite me to your wedding?" She asked.

"I want you to be my," I tried but she shook her head.

"You came all this way to invite me your wedding, I thought you came here for me," She whispered sadly.

"I did come for you, and wanted to see you, I've missed you, I want you to be my Maid of Honor Mer," She shook her head again, and I could see tears falling from her bright blue eyes.

"I thought you came here for me," She whispered again. "I kicked my roommate out, I made romantic dinner reservations, I thought," She was too upset to continue and suddenly it all made sense. Our letters had been flirty, and I had mentioned Derek at all. She'd promised to make sure I never wanted to leave after I arrived in her last letter. My silence seem to make her more angry than upset. "I don't want to be in your stupid wedding!" Meredith yelled. "I'm so in love with you Addie, and I thought you loved me too, I thought you were here because you love me, not to invite me your fucking wedding!"

"Mer," I tried, but I didn't know what to say and she flinched when I tried to touch her.

"Just go," She screamed. "You've embarrassed me," She sobbed and the next thing I knew I was outside listening to her sob against the door and left feeling completely helpless as I leaned against the door and cried too. I received an angry letter from Meredith's roommate two weeks later. I'd opened it nervously thinking that it was from Meredith, only to be disappointed when the words inside weren't hers. Meredith's roommate wasn't my biggest fan, and as it turned out she liked me even less when I showed up there after leaving Derek. I'd knocked on Meredith's door and the young woman answered.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Meredith."

"Mer is your study group tonight?" The woman yelled to her roommate, and Meredith came out of the bathroom. "Addison? What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" Meredith nodded, much to her roommate's annoyance. "I just want to talk."

"You're seriously gonna let her in?"

"She came all the way from New York," Meredith sighed.

"Fine I'm out of here," She groaned before pushing past me and bolting off down the hall.

"I brought these for you," I whispered holding out a dozen roses and handing them to her. She threw them aside carelessly.

"You know I don't like flowers." I nodded, I knew she didn't like flowers, but it was a gesture. "If you really wanted to talk you would have brought chocolate," She added breaking the silence. "What are you doing here Addie?" I didn't say anything and she just stared at me expectantly. "If you're not going to say anything you can just leave." I wasn't going to leave and I still hadn't said anything and I could tell that Meredith was getting frustrated by my silence.

"I left him," I whispered. She looked surprised at my confession. I felt tears sting my eyes, I hated the way I'd left Derek, but I couldn't live with myself if I let Meredith go. "I love you so much," I hiccuped. "I couldn't imagine living life without you Mer, I love you so much, I do, I just, I don't want you to hate me, I'm sorry, so, so sorry. I never thought that you, that you'd ever f-f-feel that way about me and," I was sobbing hysterically and stuttering and Meredith reached out and held me. I'd woken up in her bed the next morning and we were never apart again.

"She told me that she was in love with me," Addison whispered to the man. "I had feelings for her before we even met, and I just never thought that they'd be reciprocated, and I pushed them aside and we met, and I loved you so much Derek. After she told me I couldn't stop thinking about her and it wouldn't be fair to you if I was thinking about somebody else when we got married. I am so sorry Derek, I never wanted to hurt you, but I couldn't just marry you and never know." He nodded as she stroked his cheek. "I never stopped caring about you Der, I always wonder how you're doing, and Mer always has her nose buried in a medical journal, so it's not hard to keep track of you."

"I've read some of your publications too," Derek said.

"I haven't published anything in a while," She laughed. "I don't see that being a top priority once the little ones are born either." He eyed her curiously. "My wife is pregnant," Addison explained.

"Blonde resident, kinda cute, sassy?"

"Yeah sassy, that's mine," Addie said with a smile.

"Your wife is my resident," Derek said and Addison nodded. "You left me for a sassy blonde woman?" Again the redhead nodded only this time the nod was accompanied by a grin.

"Dr. Shepherd," Meredith said as she spotted the pair. He turned to face her. "If you like your hand I suggest you remove it from my wife." He quickly removed his hand from it's place on top of Addison's, not wanting to take any chances on his hand. "Addie, I'm hungry," She whined, grabbing the hand that Derek had previously held in an effort to tug the redhead away to lunch and the peanut butter and banana sandwiches with nutella that Meredith knew her wife had made her.

"She's also very demanding when it comes to peanut butter," Addison told the man with a grin as she was being pulled away.

"For what it's worth, I like her," Derek yelled after her. It was true, he did like the blonde, and he could be happy knowing that Addison had found a happiness she might not have had if she stayed with him.


End file.
